Sliding doors of the kind here concerned are used in vehicles as for example in vans, recreational vehicles, mobile homes, caravans, campers and the like. A sliding door is a type of door mounted on or suspended from a track or rail for the door to slide, usually horizontally. The most common type of sliding door has a three-point suspension and opens outwards, then rides along the side of the vehicle.
Generally, sliding doors are heavy and big. In the case of an accident, big forces act on the whole sliding door lock system and in particular on the sliding door lock mechanism that is adapted to close the sliding door. Common sliding door lock mechanisms are made of sheet metal and can bend or deform due to these forces.
Therefore, the invention provides a sliding door lock system and a reinforcement element for application at a sliding door lock mechanism that supports the sliding door lock mechanism and prevents the structure of the sliding door lock mechanism from deformation or bending.